The present invention relates to carafes in general. More specifically to a vacuum insulated carafe that includes a lid requiring only a minimum of rotation to permit relatively unrestricted flow through the stopper and pouring spout which is particularly useful with liquids that have a higher viscosity than water, such as used for creamers etc.
Previously, many types of vessels such as coffee or beverage cups and mugs along with servers and carafes, having lids or stoppers, have been used in endeavoring to provide an effective means to contain a liquid while preventing spillage and retaining the temperature of the liquid within.
A few of the prior art patents listed below did not disclose any of the novelty of the instant invention, however the following U.S. patents are considered related:
Letsch et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,888 discloses a carafe with an inner container surrounded by a casing. The inner container and the casing have an opening at the top which may be closed by a separate plug. The plug and opening in the container and casing are shaped such that it is possible to fill or empty the inner container while the plug is still in the opening. The plug and container both have mating grooves that provide opposed flow paths into and out of the container. The container also includes a basin around the top for receiving coffee from a coffee maker and the plug has openings to provide a flow path from the basin into the container interior.
Karp in U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,703 teaches a travel mug that includes a container and a lid in combination. The container has a handle and an annular lip that has an annulus capable of forming a seal with the top side of the annular lip. A cylindrical well in the lid has a vertical dividing wall such that the lid may be readily rotated by hand. The retaining arms extend from the underside of the lid and engage the underside of the annular lip to pull it into tight abutment. Diametrically opposed gaps in the lip act as passageway for the retaining arms. Similarly diametrically opposed notches in the lid align with the gaps to allow liquid to be poured from the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,761 issued to Wissinger is for an insulated container and cover combination that has an outer container shell terminating at an opening with a surrounding edge. An inner container shell is nested within the outer container shell and has an opening surrounded by a continuous edges in abutment with the surrounding edge. The inner container shell is spaced inwardly and is out of contact with the outer shell. A cover mounting assembly is attached to the outer shell adjacent to the opening. A single seal, made of elastomeric material, has a sealing surface disposed at the interface of the shells. Locating rings define the removable cover mounting assembly and locate the single sealing ring on the inner and outer shells.
For background purposes and as indicative of the art to which the invention is related reference may be made to the remaining cited design patents.
It is common for a coffee carafe to have a screwed in cap or stopper and to have a set of gaps that align when the stopper is rotated a quarter of a turn permitting liquid to flow from the container. The problem with prior art is that the combination of the openings and the gap between the stopper and the carafe are not large enough as the gap is governed by the pitch of the threads which is insufficient to provide a high flow when only turned a quarter of a turn.
This issue is particularly important when the carafe is used a creamer, as the viscosity of cream, half and half, non-dairy cream and even milk is greater than coffee or water therefore the problem is greatly increased to the extent that some of the prior art carafes are not usable for this application.
Another difficulty is that the quarter turn is not always understood by the user as the carafe may be labeled properly however in commercial establishments the equipment must be easily rationalized without written instruction, only human intuition. It is therefore a primary object of the invention to have an operating system so simple as to be understood by all. When a person rotates the stopper to loosen it adequate liquid should come out and if the flow is insufficient it is reasonable to turn the stopper a little further until the flow rate is satisfied. This type of control is universally understood and obvious to the casual observer.
An important object of the invention is the structure that permits high flow with only a small amount of rotation of the stopper. This unique feature is accomplished by having the stopper formed of two separate pieces, an inner cup and a outer ring formed with a number of ribs separating the two elements leaving a relatively large gap in between. Common so called Acme threads permit the stopper to be rotated and separate from the carafe in an understandable manner and high flow of the liquid is afforded since there is ample space allowed in the gap between the ribs.
Another object of the invention is directed to the ease of identification of the carafe for use with different creamers. The plug that covers opening in the mounting ring to insert the attaching screw is an ideal element to indicate by both color and indicia the contents. The plug may be easily changed and a number of separate plugs may be furnished with the carafe, marked with the contents, as they are inexpensive and easy to manufacturer and install.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.